A message from father...

If this day was not bad enough for Kai. already he was facing a toxic crisis from burst pipes in his underground laboratories and now he had to meet face to face with the big man himself; Zeta Volten, his father and boss. Zeta was always very close to his father, and did all he could to please him, but the man was one who demanded perfection, especially now that his health was deteriorating and he knew soon Kai would have to take the company for himself. Kai sat nervously at his desk before the large viewscrene. He was sweating slightly as his mind raced with thoughts about the recent events. What am I going to tell him.... Kai thought to himself nervously.

Suddenly, his inner dialogue was broken by the cold yet concerned voice of his father, who's face flashed on the viewscrene. "Kai, it's been a long time since we've last met. Tell me, how is progress in Airia?" Zeta Volten asked his son. Zeta was a pale shade of the powerful man he once was. Sickly and bound to a wheelchair, the Raichu's condition was far from what it once was, but that did not make him any less in intimidating to Kai. He was one of the most powerful men on earth, and his father....failure to him was not an option. I've got to work up the courage to say this right...and say it now! Kai thought to himself as he began to speak.

"Progress is going well, father. Already the entire settled area of the continent has been provided with electricity and the Airia power grid has been running well. Research into new energy sources is also proceeding as planned, though there has been little yet in the way of major breakthroughs." Kai responded to his father confidently. "Good...*cough cough*...very good, son. However, I must know..are there any problems I should know about?" Zeta asked Kai in his usual unfeeling tone, hacking up a few coughs mid-speech due to his illness.

Kai froze for a second. "Crap! Now I have to tell him!...even if I lie he will keep probing until he finds out... but I can't let him know I made a mistake!....well, since it's going to be repaired, I may as well say the repairs where already a success and not even mention the digglet issue!" Kai thought to himself. "Well...there is one th.." "spit it out, boy!" Zeta interrupted harshly. "I know when your nervous...you wearing it all over you right now." Kai's father continued harshly. "One of the pipes in the laboratories burst, releasing toxic material...luckily..repair drones where able to fix it and the situation is under control." Kai said to his father strongly, masking his nerves well.

"It better be under control for your sake, son....the last thing I or the company need is another news story about the environmental horrors of the energy industry...." Zeta said to Kai. "All and all...I am...content with your work. I will leave it at that. Now, I best be off, we both have important business to attend to." Zeta said as the screen flashed off. Kai sighed. "content..."he said to himself in a somewhat disappointed tone. "I may as well take that as a compliment I guess....coming from him that's definitely a complement." Kai continued to himself. He turned back to his paperwork and continued to do his business, all the old, happy times before his father came down with his illness running through Kai's mind..

He used to be so much more relaxed before he got sick... Kai thought to himself as he worked. I know that he's just trying to prepare me for taking over the company, but sometimes I don't think he knows just how great I am... Kai continued to himself as he signed away on paper after paper. I can do a lot more then most people...I am superior to countless of his employees....and yet he doubts me!...I shouldn't blame him...he's getting ready to hand over one of the world's largest business empires to me...he has every right to use tough love....but I miss what he used to be like... Kai continued to think to himself.

"He was so optimistic...so bright about the future and how we would power the world for eons to come...or at least that's what he told me...sometimes I question just how much he really ment all that or if he was always the ruthless man he is now. Not that ruthlessness is a bad thing, you need it to get anywhere in life...but ruthlessness without purpose is pointless. Kai continued to muse as he did his work. He sighed deeply and tried to push the memories from his mind, focusing more intently on his work and trying to live in the here and now instead of a rose-colored past.